Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) Marine Safety Risk Assessment

The Coast Guard R&D Center (RDC) conducted four phases of a marine safety risk assessment for the waters of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) in the vicinity of the Aquatic Invasive Species Electrified Dispersal Barrier (MM 296.5), Romeoville, IL. An overarching goal of this work is to determine the adequacy of present risk mitigation strategies, and if necessary, recommend alternatives to the present strategies. The work covered by this report includes: (1) a data-driven, event-tree based quantitative risk analysis, (2) review and analysis of three-months of canal transits through the barrier zone, (3) shore measurements to categorize electrical currents at the Oxbow Midwest Calcining barge loading facility and (4) a summary of regulatory development and rule changes since the initial operation of the barrier through the present.
Prepared in collaboration with ABSG Consulting, Science Applications International Corporation, and Shearwater Systems, LLC. Sponsored in part by DHS Contract nos. HSCG32-12-J-300033 and HSCG32-13-J-000010. The original document contains color images.